What Is Early Word? The Philadelphia Inquirer's experimental online "morning show&quot, which began in Sept. 2005, went on hiatus in the summer of 2006, after a gradual shift to putting more of its content directly on Philly.com.

Talk About It, Talk About It ...Yikes, Mice With Plague!Yes, it's another sign the world's nearing the end. A North Jersey bioterrorism lab lost track of three mice (three blind mice?) a few weeks ago. Workers thought they might have escaped. (See how they run?) Omijupiter! They could easily have hitchhiked to Philadelphia by now! Relax. On three counts. First, the FBI investigated and concluded the mice were probably eaten by other lab animals. Whew. That's a relief. As long as those plague-infested-mouse-infested ferrets or pythons or sharks or whatever such contaminated predators they have there don't escape. Second: Plague's tough to catch. Fleas would have to bite the mice and then bite people. "The odds of that occurring are ridiculous," an official said. Third: What are the chances a mouse would chose a long trip down the turnpike when it could head for Broadway or Great Adventure? See properly serious news story.